Best Rhode Island Sports Betting Sites 2020

If you are living in Rhode Island and you are looking to place a sports bet, you are in luck! Online sports betting is now legal in the state, meaning that you are now able to place bets on your favorite sports no matter where you may be, whether it is at home or in your friend’s house watching the game.

Does Rhode Island have Legal Sports Betting Yes!

Rhode Island was just the eighth state in the country to make sports betting legal after the federal ban on sports betting came to an end in May 2018. It was also the first state in the region of New England to have legalized sports betting and opened sportsbooks.

A legalization bill quickly passed through the legislature, with lawmakers being very optimistic that the state would see significant tax revenues from legalization.

It was in November 2018 that the first retail sportsbooks in the state opened, doing so at the Lincoln Twin River Casino. It was only a few weeks later that a sportsbook opened up at the Tiverton Casino. For some time, only retail sports betting was allowable in Rhode Island.

Transition to online sportsbooks

With retail sports betting not generating the results that were originally expected by state lawmakers, there was a push to go ahead and make mobile sports betting allowable in Rhode Island. While there was opposition from some quarters, a bill legalizing mobile sports betting got passage in March 2019, with the first of the online sportsbooks being in September 2019.

The only online sportsbook that is allowable in the state is provided by the Rhode Island Lottery, with the platform being called the Sportsbook Rhode Island.

For now, it looks like there will be no other operators entering the space, with the Sportsbook Rhode Island, therefore, having a monopoly on the market. This lack of competition may force some residents to look elsewhere for sports betting options if this offering is not up to scratch. Another deterrent is that in order to start an online sports betting account in Rhode Island, you have to go to one of the two casinos in order to register for an account, you cannot do so online.

This guide looks at how good the sole mobile sportsbook in Rhode Island performs. It will look at all of the different aspects of sports betting in the state, giving residents a good idea of what they can expect in this regard.

Note: Despite there being only one mobile sportsbook in Rhode Island, it still will save you time when placing sports bets, as you do not have to physically travel to one of the state’s casinos, except for when you are first setting up your online account.

How to Rank the Best Online Sportsbook in Rhode Island?

For the most part, there are no monopolies when it comes to mobile sports betting in states across the nation. However, there are a handful of states where there is just one mobile operator to choose from. Therefore, the entire focus of this guide is on Sportsbook Rhode Island.

A number of significant areas of this offering have been looked at in-depth, so you do not have to take a lot of your own time to do this research yourself. Some of the key areas looked at when assessing this sportsbook include:

Range of sports and betting markets

Quality of the live betting offering

Usability of the site and mobile offering

Different payment methods

Reliability and security of the platform

Customer support availability

Promotions and welcome offers

Best Online Sportsbook in Rhode Island in 2020

Sportsbook Rhode Island - Does the Basics Well

The Sportsbook Rhode Island is the only online sportsbook that is open to residents of Rhode Island to use. Therefore, people do not have any choice with regard to dealing with a licensed sports betting operator in the region. The platform was launched in collaboration with the Twin River Casino and the Tiverton Casino in the state, the locations for the retail sportsbooks in Rhode Island.

Another pain when it comes to using the Sportsbook Rhode Island is that you have to physically visit one of the above casinos before you can start placing bets online. You can register for an account on the Sportsbook Rhode Island website and confirm this account after receiving an email from the customer support team and clicking on the link contained within this correspondence. However, to activate the account and start being able to place sports bets, you will need to go to the Tiverton or Twin River Casino and show some valid form of government-issued ID.

One of the positives about this platform is that it is powered by the well-established British bookmaker William Hill. The site itself is not very traditional or what you would expect from an online sportsbook. The main menu gives prominence to pages that teach people about sports betting, walking through the different ways in which you could place a bet.

When you enter the actual sports betting area, the design seems to be a bit outdated. However, everything is very clear and the site speed is good. Even total beginners in mobile sports betting can quickly get the hang of this platform.

In terms of the betting markets that are on offer, there is not a wide range of different sports but the main ones are catered for. The sports on offer are auto racing, basketball, boxing, football, golf, hockey, mixed martial arts, soccer and tennis. There will be a more varied amount of markets available for the bigger sports, such as NBA and NFL games. However, these markets will be a lot more limited than what you would normally find with a sportsbook.

Having said this, most of the popular betting markets are looked after. As there is no competition in the state, the odds are a bit less competitive than they may be otherwise. There is a live betting section that is pretty basic, but it will be ideal for those looking to place the standard types of live bets. The selection of live events is limited on the Sportsbook Rhode Island, with only the bigger games being catered for. There are not really any in-play digital game representations or stats for you to use when making your bets.

With this being the only licensed mobile sportsbook in Rhode Island, the operator obviously did not feel the need to add any welcome bonus offers or regular promotions for existing bettors. These types of offers are normally used to help stand out from the competition, but as there is no competition for the Sportsbook Rhode Island, it must not have decided this was a necessary step.

There is a decent FAQ section on the Sportsbook Rhode Island site and you can ring the customer support team on a 24/7 basis, which is handy. Another downside to the Sportsbook Rhode Island is that there is only one available deposit option at the moment. This entails the use of a bank account, making direct transfers to and from the platform. Deposits will process instantly, but withdrawals may take a few working days for the funds to hit your bank account.

In terms of the Sportsbook Rhode Island mobile app, there is a dedicated app for Android and iOS users. It is very similar in terms of design to the desktop version of the site. The app is very easy to navigate and the bet slip feature works well. It is a simple app with not too many frills or advanced features to write home about.

In conclusion, the Sportsbook Rhode Island is very simple in its offering, but it does the job for those looking to place standard types of sportsbooks. While it does not have any flashy offers or features, you will still be able to bet on the biggest events with a licensed mobile sportsbook in Rhode Island.

What Should You Do Next?

As the Sportsbook Rhode Island is your only option to place mobile sports bets with a licensed operator in the state, you do not have much choice in the matter. In the future, there is hope that the market may open up and other operators will be allowed to enter this space.

Otherwise, bettors will hold out hope that the Sportsbook Rhode Island will continue to develop its offering over time and make it more enjoyable for bettors to use.

The foundation is there to allow bettors to wager on major sports at decent odds and doing so in a safe and protected manner.

Legal Aspects to Keep in Mind

Sports betting is massively popular in the United States. There are many sports fans inRhode Island, particularly when it comes to the NFL. The New England Patriots have been a dominant team for many years in the sport and as a result, it has led to a lot of interest in sports betting.

While there is only one online sportsbook open for residents of Rhode Island to use, at least they know that they are dealing with a licensed operator that is overseen by the state regulator. There is proper consumer protection in place as opposed to if Rhode Island residents were using illegal offshore sites to place their bets.

Naturally, there is an age requirement in place in the state for who can place sports bets. This is only set at 21 years old, which is ideal. Naturally, you have to be inside of the Rhode Island state lines before you can place an online sports bet. If you cross over the border when trying to place a bet, it will not process. There is a geolocation feature that is a part of the Rhode Island sportsbook that will now when you have crossed into another state.

One of the annoying yet vital aspects of online sports betting is having to physically register for an online account. While this is not the case in every state, there are some states like Rhode Island that require people to provide a form of government ID at a physical location before they can start placing sports bets. This is something you cannot workaround, but at least when you have completed this step initially, you will then be ready to place sports bets from the comfort of your own home.

FAQs

Will more operators be able to open mobile sportsbooks in Rhode Island?

As of now, there is only one mobile sportsbook that is allowable in the state, being the Sportsbook Rhode Island that is operated by European bookmaker William Hill. As time goes on and this contract expires, there may be a push to open up the market to other operators in order to create some further competition in the state.

What other forms of gambling are legal in the state?

There are commercial casinos in Rhode Island that gives you the ability to play traditional casino games and slots. There is currently no legal online casinos or online poker to play. There is a state lottery and certain types of horse racing betting has long been allowable.

Why is there a need to provide ID to register an account?

This is an important step for all sportsbooks all across the United States. It ensures first of all that you are of age to place sports bets in a given jurisdiction. It is also vital so that the operator is compliant with the likes of anti-money laundering guidelines. They do not want criminals being able to launder money through the likes of sportsbooks and not being able to track them.

Do any other states in New England have legal sports betting?

Rhode Island was the first New England state to legalize sports betting and to open sportsbooks. Most of the states have considered sports betting legislation, with some of the states such as New Hampshire opening sportsbooks in the near future.

What age do you have to be to place sports bets in Rhode Island?

You only have to be 18 years old to place sports bets in Rhode Island. In a lot of other states, you need to be at least 21 years old to do so. Therefore, younger Rhode Island residents can be happy in this regard if they are interested in placing sports bets.

About Andrew

Andrew has been writing about the gambling industry for more than five years, covering everything from sports betting to casinos and poker. With the sector constantly evolving, he loves nothing better than staying up to date with the latest movers and shakers in the space.